Automatic engine-starter.



W. J. J. ODHA;

AUTOMATIC ENGINE STARTER APPLICATION FILED snr1 *.7,19o5.

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, PATEN'TED AUG. 13, 1907. W. J. J. QDEA.

' AUTOMATIC ENGINE STARTER. APPLIOATION FILED SEPT.-7,1905. v

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wiriiiiu J. J. ODEA, or BUFFALO, NEW YORK, sssrenon or ONE-FOURTH 'roJoriN L. MERKLE, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC ENGINE-STARTER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'known that I, WILLrAM- .l. J. ODEA, a citizen of the UnitedStateaiesiding at Buffalo, inthe'county of Erie and-State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticEnginesimple, durable, and powerful starting-device in which i the partsare reduced to a minimum, and in which power may be stored by the actionof the engine, and

released at will by the manipulation of a lever withinconvenient reachof the operator. My invention consists in the construction, arrangement,and combination of parts to be hereinafter de-.

scribed and particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

In the drawings,Figu re l is a side elevation of the device.

taken'online xx, Fig. 1, the parts being shown in the position theyassume when starting an engine. Fig. 4 is a similar view, the partsbeing shown in the position they assume when. storing power. Fig. 5 isa. vertical section taken'on line y'y, Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a sideelevation of the gear containing the power-spring, the inner end ofthe'latter and the'shaft passing through the casing being shown insection. Fig. 7 is a transverse section taken on line'z 'ajFig. 4. Fig.8 is sn enlarged sectional view showing the manner of securing referencerefer to like partslin the several figures any desi rable constructionand outline; it serving simply tosiiiipdrt-the variotis 'parts of thedevice. Revolubly mounted in a fixed location in said frame is a shaft Bwhich maybe the engineshaft or a shaft having connection with theengine-shaft; but which will, for convenience, be hereinafter referredto as the engineshait: Secured to said engine-shaft are two gear--wheels 0 and B, one of which-is adapted to bebrought into mesh with agear-wheel E securd to a shaft F which I will term-stile ipower-shaft.Saidshaft is .mounted in bearings e-slidahle' within-longitudinal slotsG formed in the frame. Interposed between said bearings and the ends ofthe slotsnearer theengineshaft are springs H thafiserve to normallymaintain said bearings at the opposite ends oi said slots. One end oiseid yieldingly-niountedshaft is reduced in diameter, as at I, to form ashoulder and loosely mounted on said'reduced' portion of the shaft is aneccentric bushing J; it being held from lengthwise Specification ofLetters liatent. Application filed September 7,1905. serial llo.277,448.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view, showing the parts in their normal position. 1Fig. 3 is a horizontal .jsection Patented Aug. 13, 1907.

movement on the shaft by said shoulder and by a collar j secured to theend of the shaft and journaled in one of the bearings e, said collarserving as a journal for said shaft.

At the outer end of the bushing is a reduced portion K having itscircumference concentric with the shaft, and having secured thereto a.pinion is by means of which: the bushing is revolved. A lever Lispivotally,

attached between its ends to a cross-bar L mounted in the frame, and atits lower end said lever has a gearsegment Z whichisheld in mesh withthe pinion k. Said lever, on being rocked, causes said pinion to revolveand consequently the bushing .I to which said pinion is secured. Mountedloosely on said bushing is a gearwheel M having an annularratchet-rim'm. Said gearwheel is held against longitiidinal movement onsaid bushing by a flange 9" formed on the inner end of the latter and bya collar N secured to said bushing and bearing against the hub of saidgear-wheel. Within said'ratchet-rim is a convolute power-spring 0 havingone end thereof secured to a pin 0 projecting from shaft F and its otherend secured to the inner side of said rim.

Said pin is notched at 0 and provided with an inclined end 0 The innerend of spring 0 is provided with an elongated opening 0 having its innerendbeveledu The metal of the spring between the end thereof and theouter end of said opening enters the notch in the pin, said notchserving to securely hold the spring to the pin. In the. event of theengine'reversing while the startingdevice is in connection therewith,the inner end of the spring becomes disconnected from the pin by reasonof the beveled inner end of opening 0 riding up the inclined end of saidpin, thereby avoiding injury being I done to the starting-device; thespring automatically The letter A designates the frame whichinay be ofengages the pin when the engine is given a proper start. I

to prevent unwinding of the power-spring. A dog R is also looselymounted on the barLf and engages gearwheel E to prevent turning oftheshaft F. 'It is therefore apparent, that said pawl and dog'act' tomaintain the power-spring in its-wound-up condition.

S designatesa foot-lever which is, pivoted at its lower end, to theframe and has one end of a rod s pivotally connected thereto; the otherend of said rod being pro- .vided with an eye through which shaft Fextends: In

this manner said shaft is free to revolve whilemaintainingconnectionwith said rod. A secondrod T is pivotits oppositeend passed through a perforated upstanding lug formed on the dog R; theextremity thereof being enlarged and adapted to be brought into contactwith any connected at one end with the foot-lever and has bearingagainst pawl P and dog B, respectively, it serving to normally maintainthem in locked position.

In applying the device the spring is coiled up and ing its eccentricityas described. vWhile the teeth of gears E and D are being intermeshed,the head or enlarged end of rod/l comes .in contact with dog R andreleases same, thereby permitting the unwinding of the powerspring,which serves to revolve the engine-shait and start the engine. When theengine is started, the foot-lever is released to permit the parts to bereturned to normal. 'After the engine is started, the lever Lmay beactuated to revolve the bushing .l and thus bring the eccentricity ofthe bushing tothe opposite side of the shaft, which changes the centeroi gear-wheel M with -reference to the axis of shaft F.- I Thegear-wheel M is 5 thus moved forward into mesh with gear-wheel C 0n theengirie-shait, to cause .the power-spring to be recoi'led for thepurpose of storing power. i The lever L may now be returned to normal tomovethe gear-wheel M out of mesh with its codperating gears. From theforegoing,

- it is understood that the gear-wheels are arranged in pairs, which,however, are normally disengaged, and

that one of each pair is secured to the engine-shaft and the othercarried on the yieldingly mounted shaft.

, This invention is susceptible to changes in form, con- ""strue tionandarrangement of parts, without departing frbm my invention or sacrificingany of th advantages thereof.

Havingthus described my invention, what I claim 1. The combination witha frame having coinciding slots, a shaft having a gear-wheel looselymounted, bearlugs for said shaft movable in said slots, a spring betweeneach bearing and one of the ends of the corresponding I slots, a secondgear-wheel loosely mounted on said shaft,

a power spring having one end securedto said shaft and its-opposite endsecured to'said loosely mounted gear- Mhgel, means to hold saidgem-wheel against movement, a

,second shaft having a fined position, gear-wheels secured to the lastmentioned shaft andadapted to be engaged by the gear-wheels on the firstmentioned shaft, and means to move the loosely mounted gear-wheel on thefirst mentioned shaft into mesh with its eoiiperating gear-wheel on thesecondshaft. f

2. In a starting-device, the. combination with 9. suitable freme,,of twoshafts revolubly; mounted in saidframe and nst-being movable toward theother, springsto hold the movable shaft in its normal'ponition, 'two'pairs of gear- 1 wheels mounted on said shafts and normally out of mesh,

' a power spring having connection atone end with one of said shafts andat its other end"wlth one of the gear wheels on said shaft, anoperating-lever, and a rod connecting said operating-lever with themovable shaft.

3. In a starting-device, the combination with a suitable frame, of ashaft having-a fixed position and provided with two gear-wheels, ayieldingly mounted shaft having a gear wheel secured thereto and adaptedtomesh with one of the gear-wheelsolithe first mentioned shaft, agear-wheel loosely mounted onjssid yieldingly mounted shaft adapted tomesh with thelogher gear-wheel on the first-mentioned shaft,. and 'mean's move thegear-wheels on the yieldsmesh with their respectivegearwheels on the first mentioned shaft.

, 4. Ina ntartingdevlce, the combination with a suitable 1 frame, ofmshaft having aigenr-wheel seeuredtheret'o, a second shaft carryingmeans to store power, an eccentric h ushing loosely mounted on the lastmentioned shaft, :1 gear-wheel loosely mounted on said bushing andpositioned to be brought into mesh with 'the ear on the first men-"tioned shaft, and means to rotates bushing.

5. In a starting device, the combination with a suitable frame, of ashaft'revolubly mounted'in said frame and having a fixed position, twogear-wheels secured thereto, a yieldingly mounted shaft having aneccentric bushing loosely mounted thereon, a gear-wheel loosely mountedon 'said bushing and adapted to be brought into mesh with one of thegears on the first mentioned shaft, :1 powerspring having one endthereof secured to said yieldingly mounted shaft and its other end tothe last mentioned gear-wheel, a second gear-wheel secured to saidyieldingly mounted shaft, and means-to move said yieldingly mount- 7 7ed shaft toward and from the first mentioned shaft.

(3. In a starting device, the combination with a frame, of a shaftsecured thereto, a ge r-wheel secured to said s. ..t, a shaft having aneccentric-bushing loosely mount ed thereon, a gear-wheeldoosely mountedon said bushing and positioned to'be brought into mesh with the gear onthe first mentionedshaft, means to rotate said bushing, and means tostore 'power.

7; In nstarting-device, the combination with a suitable r frame, of twoshafts revolubly mounted in said frame, two pairs'of gear-wheels mountedon said shafts and normally out of mesh, one. of said gear-wheels beingloosely mounted,

o. power-spring serving as a connection between the lastmentloned',gear-wheel and the shaft supporting the some, means td ause saidgear-wheel to he brought into mesh with its cooperating gear-wheel, andmeans for causing the other pairof gear-wheels to be bronghtinto'mesh.

8. In a starting-device, the combination with a suitable frame hagingqoincident slots in opposite sides of said.

shaft, means toprevent the rotation of said shaft, an ec- -centricbushing loosely mounted on said shaft, a gear.

wheel loosely mounted on said bushing, 21 power-spring having one endthereof secured to said shaft and its other end secured to said lastmentioned gear-wheel, means to prevent rotation ofthe latter, a secondshaft having gearwheels adapted to mesh with the gear-wheels on thefirst mentioned shaft, means to revolve said bushing to bring thegear-wheel mounted thereon into mesh with one of the gears on saidsecond shaft, and means to move the first mentioned shaft toward thesecond shaft.

In testimony whereof, I have affixed my signature in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

' WILLIAJI'JI J. O'DEA. Witnesses: Y

EMU. Nnunanr,

